Summary (English)

Rwanda is a small, landlocked country of 9.3 million people characterized by rapid population growth, a high poverty incidence (56.9 percent in 2005) and the highest population density in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Rwanda made significant progress since the 1994 genocide that resulted in the death of more than one million people and in the collapse of economic and social structures. After more than a decade of reconstruction and strong economic growth, the country is currently at peace and secure.
The Government of Rwanda successfully implemented a broad program of economic reforms and it has adopted its second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS). The specific objectives of the EDPRS for the health sector are "to maximize preventive health measures and build capacities to have high quality and accessible health care services to the entire population in order to reduce malnutrition, infant and child mortality, fertility, as well as control communicable diseases".